Manure-fork.



No. 802,897. PATENTED UGT. 24, 1905. G. WETTLAUFER.

MANURE PORK.

APPLICATION FILED PEB. 20,1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W ETTLAUFER, OF STRATFORD, CANADA.

MANURE-F'ORK..

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, 1905.

Application iled February 20, 1905. Serial No. 246,585.

To all whom it` may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE WETTLAUFER, a subject of the King oi' Great Britain, residing at Stratford, in the Province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Manure Forks; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description oi' the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to man ure-forks, and one of the principal objects of the same is to provide a device of this character which shall be simple of construction, reliable and eiiicient in operation, which shall be composed of comparatively few parts, and which will not be liable to get out of order.

Another object is to provide an improved locking means for holding` the teeth or prongs together in position to carry a load and sirnple means for tripping said lock.

These and other objects are attained by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View of a manurefork made in accordance with my invention. said i'ork being suspended from an ordinary hay-'fork car, said View showing the fork open. Fig. 2 is an under side plan view of the fork and its frame, the jaws of the fork being closed. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the fork with the jaws closed and locked. Fig. 4 is a detail View oi the keeper for the rack-bar or lock.

Referring to the drawings for a more particular description ot' my invention, the letter A designates a track, and B is an ordinary car adapted to run on said track.

C is a pulley provided with a hook'to suspend the manure-fork, said pulley being connected to the car by means of a rope K, these parts all being of the usual or any preferred construction.

The manure-fork comprises a frame D, which may be of angle-iron or metal tubing, said frame consisting of two members pivoted together, as at M, at the ends thereof and adapted to open and close. This frame is suspended from the pulley C by means of the cords or chains E, attached at the corners and extended upward and connected to a ring engaged with the hook upon the pulley C. Connected to the frame D, at opposite sides thereof, are the tines L of the fork, said tines being oppositely disposed upon the opposite sides of the frame and curving inward toward each other, as shown.

Secured centrally to each member of the frame D is a handle F, which extends upwardly and outwardly, as shown in Fig. 3, said handles being used for the purpose of closing the tines of the fork within the load. Pivoted to one of said handles is a rack-bar G, provided with a number ot' serrations or teeth H. Said bar G extends from one of the handles F across to the other, and secured to the latter handle is a keeper J, consisting of a loop secured to said handle for confining the bar G and permitting its teeth or serrations H to engage the lower member of said keeper. Secured to the free end otl the rack-bar G is a rope or cord N, said rope or cord passing upward and over a pulley and leading to a convenient point within reach ot' the operator, said rope or cord being used for tripping the latch or rack-bar and permitting the jaws to separate to discharge the load.

rlhe operation oi' my device will be obvious from the foregoing. The tines L are engaged with the load, the handles F being separated and locked in such condition b v means of the bar G. When the load is hoisted and conveyed to its place of deposit, the tripping-rope N is utilized for lifting the bar G from the catch J and discharging the load in an obvious manner.

Various changes in the Yform, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing' from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what l claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. rlhe herein-described manure-fork comprising the rectangular frame consisting of two members pivoted together, the curved tines secured to said frame, handles extending upward `from the frame, chains connected to said frame and suspended from a pulley, a rack-bar pivoted to one of said handles and provided with teeth or serrations, a keeper for said rack-bar, and a tripping-rope for disengaging the rack-bar from the keeper, substantially as described.

2. A manure-fork comprising a rectangular frame consisting of two members pivoted IOO together and carrying' the tines of the fork, n testimony whereof I have hereunto set handles se Cured to said frame, means for susmy hand in presence of two subscribing Wit- IC pending said frame, a rack-har pvoted to one nesses. of said handles, a. keeper attached to the other GEORGE VETTLAUFER. 5 handle and adapted to engage the rack, and

means for disengagng the rack from the Vitnesses: keeper to discharge the load, substantially as NV. J. HANLEY, described. J. C. MAXIM. 

